Reaction to the recent discovery of 215 dead children at a B.C. residential school has been mixed from the Catholic church. The Vatican has not apologized, but things are different in the north.
As a body, the Roman Catholic Church - which administered most of 颁补苍补诲补鈥檚 residential schools, including several in Manitoba and Saskatchewan 鈥� issued a short statement about the program鈥檚 past June 6.
In a statement on the official verified Twitter account of Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church voiced sympathy for people affected by residential schools, but stopped short of offering an apology for the church鈥檚 role in the system and refrained from making commitments to help people affected.
鈥淚 join the Canadian bishops and the whole Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my closeness to the Canadian people, who have been traumatised by shocking [sic] discovery of the remains of two hundred and fifteen children, pupils at the Kamloops Indian Residential School,鈥� reads the statement.
鈥淭hese difficult times are a strong call for everyone to turn away from the colonial model and walk side by side in dialogue, mutual respect and recognition of the rights and cultural values of all the daughters and sons of Canada.鈥�
Within northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, that sentiment was countered by the church鈥檚 own archdiocese and Flin Flon鈥檚 own Catholic priest.
During his June 6 service, Father Paul Bringleson of St. Ann鈥檚 Roman Catholic Church delivered a scathing homily in which he criticized several church policies including the residential school system, offering an apology to victims and their families as well as those driven away from the church through scandal.
鈥淭o Indigenous people here in my care, in my past, throughout our country, I, Paul Bringleson, a priest of the most holy Roman Catholic Church, apologize. We failed you. It鈥檚 time for us to be truly accountable with that and for that,鈥� Bringleson said.
鈥淔or those who have left the church over this, I鈥檓 sorry. For those who stayed, I鈥檓 sorry. We need you. The church is better off with you than without you. We don鈥檛 give up on a family member. Don鈥檛 give up on the gospel. Even though we鈥檝e had a piss-poor way of representing Christ over many years in our country, there are those of us who want to stay, to be a part of your life in whatever way we can, in whatever way you want to.鈥�
Bringleson added that the Church must now seek to help people harmed by that system and by other Catholic policy, but only if those affected choose to come to the church for guidance.
鈥淚t is not for us to tell Indigenous peoples, 鈥�It鈥檚 time to move on.鈥� You don鈥檛 tell a victim when their suffering is over. You sit with that pain and despite every human instinct, you have to respond to it and to say something to all the what-about-isms - shut your mouth and just listen,鈥� said the father.
鈥淎s a good friend of mine is always fond of saying, 鈥楶aul, you don鈥檛 know shit from Shinola,鈥� and I don鈥檛. But I know enough to recognize a hurting people. And I know enough now to shut my mouth and listen, to call upon my brothers in the priesthood to do the same.鈥�
叠谤颈苍驳濒别蝉辞苍鈥檚 homily was published on the website of national publication MacLean鈥檚 June 8.
A statement issued by the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas, which oversees around 50 Catholic churches in northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, offered an outright apology to families and people affected by residential schools and offered to cooperate with identifying additional victims of the residential school program.
鈥淥n behalf of the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas, I express my deep sorrow at the news of the 215 children found on the grounds of the previous Kamloops Residential School. This news has made fresh again the pain for all affected by the legacy of residential schools,鈥� reads the letter, published by Archbishop Murray Chatlain.
鈥淭here has been an outflowing of emotion: anger, dismay, grief, sadness. I have experienced all these emotions in myself as well. I want to express my deep apology and profound condolences to all the families and communities affected.鈥�
The archdiocese operated seven residential schools, including the Sturgeon Landing Residential School and its successor, the Guy Indian Residential School at Clearwater Lake. Other residential schools in the north were non-denominational, like the Churchill Vocational Centre, or run by groups with other religious affiliations - the Norway House Residential School was operated by the Methodist Missionary Society and, later, the Home Missions of the United Church, while the Lac La Ronge Residential School was overseen by Anglicans.
鈥淚n the history of our archdiocese, we had seven residential schools. We will do all we can to provide what information we have on our gravesites. During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), our records were turned over to the TRC. We commit to help with identifying the children that passed at our own residential schools.鈥�
鈥淭he most important thing now is to pray and listen.鈥�
According to a report published in the Thompson Citizen in 2014, the archdiocese was obligated to pay $1 million over five years and provide $1.6 million in in-kind services over 10 years as part of the federal Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement.
鈥淭o members of my own parish and parishes that are listening to this, hold your priest accountable. Challenge your bishop to talk and to listen. Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women鈥檚 League of Canada, write those letters that you鈥檙e always so famous for writing about every other blessed social justice issue on the map,鈥� said Bringleson in his June 6 homily.
鈥淲rite your church a letter asking for your priests and bishops to be present to Indigenous peoples without reservation - and ask them not to write another letter. Ask them to leave their office and get out onto the street and sit amongst the people whose hearts we have broken, whose dignity we have robbed and whose lives we have betrayed. Only then, only then, will healing truly have a chance of being the reconciliation that the gospel of Jesus Christ demands of us.鈥�
